Figure 5.29

U.S. hurricane activity. Each colored dot gives the hurricane return period—the number of years, on average, between major hurricanes (category 3 or higher)—for its stretch of coast since records have been kept. The dots are spaced about 100 km (60 mi) apart. The lower the return period, the more vulnerable a stretch of coastline is. On the southern tip of Florida, for example, category 3 hurricanes have struck about every 19 years.